


Double Entendre

by Arcadias_Fire



Series: Seeking Mischief [10]
Category: British Actor RPF, Marvel Cinematic Universe, Marvel Cinematic Universe RPF, Thor (Movies)
Genre: Avengers: Endgame (Movie) Spoilers, Domestic Fluff, Established Relationship, Fluff and Angst, Loki (Marvel) Gets a Hug, Loki (Marvel) Needs a Hug, Loki (Marvel)-centric, M/M, Multiverse, The Tesseract (Marvel)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-08
Updated: 2019-10-08
Packaged: 2020-11-27 18:13:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,134
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20952752
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Arcadias_Fire/pseuds/Arcadias_Fire
Summary: The fabric of the multiverse wears thin over time. Over and over, someone slips through the cracks until that crack widens into a chasm.Or, that time Tom came home and found another Loki.





	Double Entendre

**Author's Note:**

> A bit of fluff from the "Seeking Mischief" universe. I haven't forgotten about them!

Tom did less traveling than he used to these days. He had fewer projects to work on outside of the country. In fact, he tried to keep to London - or at least England - as much as possible. He wasn’t as young as he used to be, not that thirty-eight was  _ old _ by any stretch, but Hollywood took its toll on everyone over the age of thirty-five. Twenty-five, if you were a woman. Honestly though, most of that was an excuse. He didn’t feel - or look - significantly older than he had two years ago. It was actually possible that he’d simply stopped aging, though two years wasn’t enough time to prove that either way. 

Yes, he was trying to keep the world from noticing that possible change, or lack thereof. Mostly he stopped traveling because the last time he had gone abroad for any length of time, his husband had been kidnapped. Not by people trying to get a ransom for the spouse of a celebrity, but by an evil alternate version of  _ himself. _

Ransom would have been far far better. For one thing, a small army wouldn’t be able to take “Lucas” prisoner, no matter how helpless he appeared to be. The man that the world knew as Lucas Stirling, newly wedded husband to recently outed as bisexual actor Tom Hiddleston, was in his late twenties. He was tall, but slender, much like Tom. Handsome, but in an unconventional way -  _ unlike _ Tom - and a full-time student who looked like he’d never hurt a fly. 

This, of course, was a lie. 

Lucas hadn’t  _ existed _ until relatively recently. He wasn’t even human. He was a walking crack in reality which lead right to the universe that Tom had acted in for the last ten years. 

When you’re married to an alternate version of yourself already, the kidnapping by an evil self didn’t seem that odd. Not only that, Tom himself had been kidnapped by an alternate evil version of himself already. Just a different one. 

Tom’s life was terribly confusing. 

The long and short of it was, Tom traveled rarely these days. But he had gone abroad alone this time, and was very much looking forward to coming home to a possessive - but not at all jealous - god who had expressed missing him tremendously. 

What he did not expect to find when he got home was said god bound and unconscious on the sitting room floor. 

Tom dropped his bags and jerked forward to tend to his husband before a small warning bell went off in his mind. 

_ What am I missing here? What’s wrong with this image? _

Loki wore armor rather than human clothes. His hair was the wrong length, just barely to his shoulders instead of nearly to his waist. He was thinner than Tom remembered, looking positively starved. He also wore a very familiar gag and elaborate handcuffs. Never mind that Loki might very well have garbed himself like this to temp Tom in the past, but his recent kidnapping experience had left Tom’s husband averse to playing with restraints of any kind. 

_ Don’t be stupid, you can tell if this is Loki or not easily. _ Tom sent out a magical ping to locate his lover. 

Loki was upstairs. Given the direction, in his workroom. However there was a very faint echo that lead back to the unconscious person on the floor as well. 

Tom frowned and carefully maneuvered around the edge of the room to get to the stairs. The figure sprawled on the hardwood stayed motionless as he crept past. Nor was there any reaction as he climbed the stairs, even when the creaky step groaned under his foot. 

The door to Loki’s workroom was open and he was inside working on something. 

“Loki?” 

Loki looked up from his workbench and smiled at Tom. “Hello my love, welcome home.” He banished whatever was on the bench, got to his feet, and came over to follow his greeting with a kiss. “How was your journey?” 

“It was fine. Traffic was awful getting home from the airport, as always. Why is there another version of you unconscious in the sitting room?” 

“He’s still there?” Loki scowled. “Damn, I thought he’d have vanished by now.” 

“Loki, what’s going on?” 

“Umm…” Loki’s eyes slid to the side. “We may have a bit of a problem.” 

“How much of a bit?” 

“A rather large bit, I’m afraid.” 

Tom rubbed his forehead. “I’m getting a headache. What happened?” 

Loki held out placating hands. “I’ve only been working on this for a few hours, so I’m not certain, but I think that all the travel between this universe and others has worn a bit of a hole in the fabric of reality.” 

“How big of a hole?” 

Loki gave him a bright, entirely false smile. “Big enough to allow another version of me to fall through?” 

“Oh God.” Tom rubbed his eyes under his spectacles. “What… how… I’m not sure where to begin, to be honest. Which universe is he from?” 

“I think he’s from mine, actually.” 

Tom’s head came up with a jerk. “Yours?” 

“Mmm.” Loki nodded. “He has a signature so close to my own that it’s nearly indistinguishable. The same can not be said for the other versions of ourselves that we’ve encountered. There’s enough variation to note, if you know what you’re looking for.” Loki slipped past him and started down the stairs. “I’m fairly certain that he’s a younger version of myself. Most likely the one created by the alternate timeline you were telling me about. Though technically that makes it yet another universe, but that gets increasingly complex the more one looks at it.” 

Tom had explained to Loki the time travel aspects of  _ Endgame _ when it became apparent that he had no memory of the altered timeline. Given that  _ this _ version of Loki had escaped his universe right before being murdered by Thanos, that hadn’t been a given. Tom had worried that Loki might have his memory rewritten, or cease to exist altogether, but none of that had come about, despite his fears. Per the scripts that seemed to determine the other universe, Loki was alive again with more stories to tell. Despite this - or perhaps because of it - Tom’s husband seemed to be his own tangent. A Loki adrift, settled into a world where he was considered fictional. 

All of these things flashed through Tom’s mind as he followed his husband back to their sitting room. They were greeted by a conscious, furious-looking armored Loki sitting on their sofa. He looked back and forth between the two of them and the frown deepened. The gag was still in place, but Tom was certain that he’d be cursing them if it wasn’t. 

“Ah, you’re conscious,” Loki said to the armored version of himself sitting on their couch. “Welcome to Midgard. Well, welcome back to Midgard.” 

This earned Loki a simmering green scowl. 

“What, nothing to say?” Loki gave the captive god wide grin. “I’m surprised your silver tongue is so easily silenced.” 

“Loki, stop tormenting him. He’s you, for God’s sake.” 

“You’re so cruel to me, beloved. I was just having a bit of fun.” Loki gave Tom a sly smile. “If I can’t play with myself, who can I play with?” 

Tom smacked himself in the forehead. “This brings a whole new meaning to the term ‘double entendre.’ At least take his gag off?” 

Loki gave a theatrical sigh. “Very well.” He walked over to the sofa. “If I take this off, will you behave?” 

The other Loki nodded. 

“I know you’re lying, but it won’t do you any good. I’m more powerful than you, even without your lovely bracelets.” Loki tapped the manacles with a long finger. “If you even breathe in a way I don’t like, I will kill you.” 

Resignation filled the other Loki’s eyes and he nodded once more. 

“Excellent. I’m glad we understand one another.” Loki reached behind the other’s head and fidgeted with the gag for a moment before pulling it free. “Now, isn’t that better?” 

Now that the gag was gone, Tom could tell for certain that this was indeed Loki. The cut on his lip, along with his clothing, confirmed that it was the Loki who’d invaded New York not that long ago. 

“Where is it?” the visitor snapped. “Give it back.” 

“No.” 

“Give it back!” 

“What part of ‘no’ do you not understand, you half-mad fool?” Loki leaned over the duplicate on the sofa, arms crossed over his chest. He wore black jeans and a soft, black cashmere jumper that he’d nicked out of Tom’s portion of their wardrobe and never given back. Black hair cascaded down his back in soft waves. Loki looked… domestic. Not at all like someone capable of leading an invasion. By looks alone, there was no way Tom’s version of Loki should be able to intimidate the leather-armored, spiky-haired god before them. But genuine fear lit the visitor god’s eyes as Loki berated him. “You haven’t earned it. You don’t just get to skip out on all the learning, all the pain, all the death, all the love, all the forgiveness. You. Haven’t. Earned. It.” 

The captive Loki visibly steeled himself and gave his older self a shark-like smile. “Come now, surely  _ you _ don’t have a use for it. You have a comfortable home, a terribly handsome, and mysteriously familiar lover,” he nodded towards Tom, “and I’m quite certain you’ve given up on world domination, for whatever reason. What would you use it for? As a paperweight?” 

Tom hadn’t  _ really _ been wondering what they were talking about, but this last question solidified his theory. “He’s talking about the Tesseract, isn’t he?” 

The armored Loki stared at Tom. “What? What is going on here?” He looked back and forth between Tom and his husband with wild eyes, then steadily at Tom. “Who are you? How does a_ mortal_ know about the Tesseract?” Disdain dripped from the word “mortal” like it was the worst insult imaginable. 

Loki snarled down at his younger self. “Shut up. You don't get to talk to him like that.” 

“No? Can't he defend his own honor?” the younger sneered. “Of course he can't. He's a weakling  _ Midgardian _ mortal. Not worthy to clean my boots, let alone warm my bed.” 

Tom saw green fire kindle in his husband's clenched fists and laid a gentle hand on his arm. “Loki, he's winding you up.” 

Loki's eyes snapped to Tom, then back at the younger version of himself. “I should kill you where you sit,” he growled. “Or at least impale you.” Loki turned on his heel and stalked into kitchen. Several cabinet doors slammed and Tom winced. 

The younger Loki looked up at Tom with trepidation and a touch of respect. “You've tamed me. How is that even possible?” 

Tom raised an eyebrow. “Not tamed, empathised with. Loved, understood, and cared for.” 

“Sentiment,” the other scoffed. “What could a human possibly offer a god?” 

Tom crouched in front of the sitting god and looked up at him. “You've spent your whole life feeling different. Outcast. When you learned the truth, it broke you. You thought that since your lineage was a lie, everything about your life must be a lie too. Your parents weren’t your parents. Your brother, not your brother. The lies hurt so much, the  _ truth _ hurt so much that you snapped. You tried to prove that you were worthy of the lie you lived, even as you fought against it.” 

As Tom spoke, Loki’s eyes went wider and wider. “How… how can you know all this?” 

“Because I lived it too, Loki. I felt that heartbreak with you. With him,” he nodded towards the kitchen. “You’re barely into your story, however many centuries you’ve lived. Loki’s right, he’s been through a lot more than you, despite there being only a few years difference between you.” 

The armored Loki shook his head and looked away. "I have a chance now. A chance at freedom. The ability to live my life the way  _ I _ want. Not as Thor's shadow, not as Second Prince, not as a pawn in someone else's game. I will not give that freedom up because of someone else's idea of  _ worthiness." _

Tom winced at the well-chosen words. "I understand. I really do.” 

The younger Loki looked at him for a long moment. “You know, I think I believe you.” He glanced into the kitchen, then back at Tom. “How long has he been here?” 

“A little more than two years, but we’re in the future from your perspective. My Loki has lived through a great number of very painful things which you won’t have to.” 

Loki looked down at his bound wrists. “I’ve had my share as it is.” 

“I know. And you have more to come, but they’ll be different than what he went through.” 

“How do you know all this? How do you know what my future will bring?” 

Tom smiled. “That’s a very long and very complicated story. Honestly, you’re probably better off not knowing.” 

The younger Loki snorted and shook his head. “What are you going to do with me? You have an abundance of Loki as it is.” 

“I expect that we’ll send you back to your native universe very shortly.” 

Tom stood from his crouch and looked down at this odd, younger version of his husband. Even before Tom met Loki, he’d had the feeling that Loki was his own person rather than just a character that he portrayed. Tom had gone so deeply into Loki's head, understood him so well that he loved Loki before they even met in Tom's mind two years ago. Let alone before he ever set foot in Tom's version of Earth. 

Seeing this younger version of his lover, seeing how different he was, seemed especially poignant, given that Tom would be portraying this version of him soon. This Loki would run and hide and trick his way into whatever mischief he could. This Loki was the center of his own universe, and more than pleased about it. 

The young Loki on the sofa looked up at Tom curiously. "What?" 

"Never mind." Tom shook his head. "I'll see what I can do for you." He turned and walked into the kitchen. His own version of Loki leaned back against the counter breathing in the steam from a cup of tea clutched in white-knuckled hands. "Love?" 

Loki looked up at him. "I hate him." 

"He's you." 

He looked back down at his tea. "I know." 

"Darling? Are you alright?" 

Loki shook his head. "I… I want what he has." 

Tom frowned. "What do you mean?" 

"I want to be able to explore again, to be free." 

Tom flinched and looked away. "You  _ can _ have that, you know. You can take his Tesseract and go." 

"I…" Loki looked up again. "No, beloved, no. I would never leave you." He lay a palm on Tom's cheek and drew his gaze back. "It's a selfish want. A desire to… to have my cake and eat it too. I could never be him, I know too much. I've lost too much. I've gained too much." He leaned in and kissed Tom's cheek. "I would never leave you, not for a thousand Tesseracts. Not for a billion new worlds to explore. You've given me everything." 

"I… Loki, you know that I would never stand in the way if you wanted… if you wanted to leave.” 

“No. No no no, that isn’t what I meant at all.” Loki pulled Tom into a tight embrace. “If I were going to leave you, I would have done so long ago. I ripped a hole in the universe to come back to you and I would do so again. I love you desperately. It’s just that seeing another version of myself freed from the burden of… of the guilt and grief. I… He has a freedom of a turned-back clock. I could never have that, even if I took the Tesseract from him. And I’ve gained so much… I wouldn’t trade it. But that’s why I hate him. He hasn’t learned enough to deserve what he has.” 

Tom held onto his husband for a long moment, thinking through what Loki had said. “You think you haven’t earned what you have either, don’t you?” 

Loki flinched. “I… I haven’t.” 

“Darling, it’s never been about earning it. Love isn’t about good and bad or  _ earning _ anything. I loved you when you a half-mad villain ready to take over the world. How could I possibly love you less now?” 

Loki scoffed a small laugh. “I suppose if you put it like that…” 

Tom grinned and pulled his husband into a kiss. “Let’s give him back the Tesseract and send him on his way, alright? He’ll be going through enough as it is.” 

“Oh? Are you not telling me something again?” 

“I may have glanced over a script or two.” 

Loki chuckled. “Very well, let’s send our visitor off. We can discuss his future later. After all, I do need to welcome you home in an appropriate fashion.” 

Tom smiled. “I was hoping for that.” 

“Excellent.” Loki pulled the Tesseract out of his pocket dimension so it appeared in his hand. He gazed at the azure cube for a long moment. “I will miss this, but the Tesseract is a great temptation.” 

Tom admired how the blue light played off of Loki’s features, then looked at the cube. “It is, but I’m grateful for its existence. This is how I got you, after all.” 

“True enough.” After another kiss, Loki went back into the sitting room and addressed his younger self who was standing near the sofa, clearly on edge. “Time to put you back where you belong.” 

“You’ve decided to let me go?” young Loki asked with a raised eyebrow. 

“We have.” Loki handed the Tesseract back to him. “Go and do something with yourself. Have adventures, whatever you want, but… try and find someone who loves you. It makes everything more worthwhile.” 

The younger Loki gave them both a crooked smile. “No promises.” 

Tom laughed and shook his head. “I do what I want?” 

Young Loki grinned. “Absolutely. Farewell.” A portal opened behind him, and he dropped through it. 

The remaining Loki sighed, then looked at Tom. “I would say that I have you all to myself again, but that seems a bit disingenuous, all things considered.” 

Tom laughed. “Regretting not taking advantage another you for a threesome?” 

Loki chuckled. “Mmmm, no. Though if you’d like, I can always conjure a duplicate…” 

“Maybe later,” Tom pulled his husband into another kiss. “I think that I prefer  _ just  _ you at the moment.” 

Loki grinned. “Lucky me. Welcome home, my love. Welcome home.” 


End file.
